Jerry Jones believes TY Hilton can provide immediate impact in Cowboys debut

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sees newly signed receiver TY Hilton making an immediate impact in his debut with the team Sunday. Jones was confident in his belief that the 33-year-old can step in right way, likening the situation to San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy stepping up over the past couple of weeks in place of an injured Jimmy Garoppolo.

“I think he can help now,” Jones said. “He came in really good shape and he’s got all that experience. If what’s-his-name can go to quarterback in San Francisco, Hilton can help us here.”

Jerry Jones said he thinks T.Y. Hilton can help this Sunday. He compared it to Brock Purdy stepping in last week and leading the 49ers to a win over the Buccaneers pic.twitter.com/mB2U7CTb0M

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 14, 2022

The Cowboys signed Hilton on Monday after they had been teasing the idea of signing free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for months. Reports leaked from the team that OBJ wasn’t, in fact, healthy enough to significantly impact the team, although Jones said on Sunday that they were still looking at the former Giant as an option.

Hilton brings 10 seasons of NFL experience, all coming with the Indianapolis Colts. During that span, he had 9,691 receiving yards, 53 touchdowns and 631 receptions. The Miami native was a third-round draft pick in the 2012 NFL Draft out of FIU.

The signing comes as Dallas hopes to push for an NFC East title over the final month of the regular season, and they can clinch a playoff spot with a win against Jacksonville on Sunday.

Hilton hasn’t played an NFL game in nearly a year, so it makes sense there would be some questions as to how much rust he’ll have to shake off. His most recent season in 2021 was his worst yet from a statistical perspective, as he finished with 23 catches for 331 yards and three touchdowns. Coincidentally, his last game that year was also against the Jaguars.

Despite all that, however, Jerry Jones doesn’t see TY Hilton having much issues to work through, and expects him to be a key piece for the Cowboys right away. Kickoff between Dallas and Jacksonville is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in Jacksonville.